Open Space Arts
David Zak, Director
Presents The American Premiere of
MY LIFE AS A COWBOY
by Hugo Timbrell
Directed by David G. Zak
Featuring Ben Chalex, Momina Shahzad, and Danny Tramontana
Conor ….. Danny Tramontana
Zainab ….. Momina Shahzad
Michael ….. Ben Chalex
Production Stage Manager Danny Mahr Lighting Design Ethan Brentlinger Set Design Devin Meseke
Costume Design Jade Andrews Sound Design Zach Stinett
Choreographer Kevin Chlapecka Public Relations John Olson
Social Media Coordinator / Photography Tadhg Mitchel
Setting: Croydon – a working-class South London town;
Connor’s Bedroom, The Swimming Pool, Croydon Town Hall
MY LIFE AS A COWBOY is presented through special arrangement with the author.
No Photography or Recording: Unauthorized video, photo, or audio recording is strictly prohibited and violates U.S. copyright law. All devices must be turned off and put away. Suspected use will stop the performance immediately—and it will not resume.
Open Space Arts. 1411 W. Wilson, Chicago
Opening Night January 23, 2026
Support Open Space Arts openspacearts.org
Open Space Arts is a member of the League of Chicago Theaters, Chicago Alliance of Film Festivals, LGBT Chamber of Commerce of Illinois, and the Uptown Chamber of Commerce.
This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council.
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Directors note:
My Life as a Cowboy is set in Croydon, England, in 2015, within a working-class community shaped by economic hardship and limited opportunity. The play unfolds across both public and private spaces: Conor’s bedroom, the community pool where he works as a lifeguard, and the community hall where he dares to imagine himself as a performer.
Conor is a queer kid navigating a world shared with straight and Muslim peers, each carrying their own beliefs, expectations, and pressures. At home, fantasy offers escape. At work, he performs competence and control. In public, he measures himself against the boundaries of class, faith, and masculinity that surround him.
At its heart, the play is a portrait of one young person on the margins, moving between survival and self-invention. Through humor, vulnerability, and flashes of bravado, Conor reaches toward a life larger than the one he has been given—finding moments of freedom in spaces never designed to fully hold him. - David Zak, January 2026
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OPEN SPACE ARTS, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, is dedicated to combating homophobia and transphobia through the transformative power of creativity and cultural expression. Our mission is to foster inclusivity, promote understanding, and empower marginalized communities by utilizing various artistic mediums to challenge discriminatory beliefs and attitudes.
OSA won some of the top honors in the Joseph Jefferson Awards for work produced in 2024, including Production of a Play – Short Run (COCK), Direction of a Play – Short Run (Michael D. Graham- LIGHT SWITCH), Performer in a Principal Role – Short Run (Philip Andrew Monnett – LIGHT SWITCH), and Performer in a Supporting Role – Short Run (Sonya Robinson – COCK) .
OSA showcases powerful LGBTQ+ storytelling through five exciting components:
- Full productions of bold and innovative plays.
- Staged readings of classic and new plays.
- Staged readings of winners from our QUEER EXPRESSION WRITING CONTEST FOR STAGE AND SCREEN.
- In-person screenings of feature films at FACETS in Chicago.
- A virtual selection of short and mid-length films, available for streaming anywhere.
Share the magic of live performance with someone special. Choose an OSA StagePass for One ($30) or StagePass for Two ($60), and let your recipient enjoy admission to any Open Space Arts production. Passes can be emailed directly for an easy, thoughtful gift.
Cast
Creative Team
Hugo Timbrell
Jade Andrews
Ethan Brentlinger
Kevin Chlapecka
Danny Mahr
Devin Meseke
Zach Stinnett
David G Zak
Meet the Company
Ben Chalex
Ben Chalex (Micahel, He/Him) recently played Rocky in the ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW at Brightside Theater, and Frank in I'LL BE SEEING YOU at Overshadowed Productions. His other credits include VOX POP! (Indiana University Bloomington), and AMUSEMENT PARK ON THE MOON (Indiana University Bloomington). Film: Mr. Williams Town, A Report on the Account of the Silent Stalker. He has a Theater Minor from Indiana University Bloomington, and has trained improvisation at the Second City. When not on stage, he loves to sing and play volleyball.
Momina Shahzad
Momina Shahzad (Zainab, she/her) has recently appeared in JORDAN & RACHELLE & ROMEO & JULIET at Edge Theatre and LAYLA THE BODY WASHER at Facility Theatre. Momina holds a Theatre minor from Loyola University of Chicago and has recently trained with and performed at Annoyance Theatre & Bar. Momina has also written and acted in numerous short films with her film production company Dreamy Mango Studios (@dreamymangostudios). When not onstage, Momina enjoys traveling and spending time with friends.
Danny Tramontana
Danny Tramontana (Conor) is an actor, writer and long suffering Mets fan from the Jersey Shore. Chicago credits: THE TEMPEST, ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL (Shakespeare Project of Chicago), AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE (Sub Rosa Theatre Collective). Danny received his BFA in Acting from The Theatre School at DePaul University. His play IN SCHOOL SUSPENSION premiered last fall with Sub Rosa's AD INFINITUM: 24 HOUR DURATIONAL THEATRE NEW PLAY FESTIVAL. Thank you to all his friends, who work and create and inspire him to stay the course.
Hugo Timbrell
Hugo Timbrell is a queer, dyslexic playwright based in London whose work centers on bold, unconventional protagonists and stories rarely given center stage. He has served as Writer-in-Residence at Edinburgh’s Traverse Theatre and was long-listed for the Bruntwood Prize for Playwritimg 2019. Timbrell’s plays have been developed with the Royal Court, Soho Theatre, and BBC Writersroom.
Jade Andrews
Ethan Brentlinger
Ethan Brentlinger (Lighting Designer) was recently the Assistant Lighting Designer on MACBETH and MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING at Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Selected designs include; CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, GUYS AND DOLLS, ANYTHING GOES (South Bend Civic Theatre), SPRING AWAKENING (Art4 South Bend), THROUGHSPACE, THE FIRMAMENT (New Industry Dance). Ethan is currently pursuing a BFA in Lighting Design at DePaul University. When not in tech Ethan enjoys playing music and working on computer projects. WEB: ethanbrentlinger.com
Kevin Chlapecka
Kevin Chlapecka (Choreographer). Chicago credits include URINETOWN (Theo Ubique) and A NEW BRAIN (Pride Arts). Regional: SISTER ACT and GHOST THE MUSICAL (Lake Dillon Theatre Co.), FOOTLOOSE (Kincaid Regional Theatre), ORDINARY DAYS (Steel Beam Theatre). Graduate of CCM Musical Theatre. Kevin is also a director, performer, and a breathwork/yoga instructor.
Danny Mahr
Danny J. Mahr (he/they) is a transmasc theatre maker and arts educator. He is a 2025 graduate of New York University’s Playwrights Horizons Theatre School, but is delighted to be back in his hometown of Chicago! From 2022-2025 he held the position of Resident Stage Manager for Broke People Play Festival. In June of 2025, he served as the Assistant Stage Manager for Proboscis Theatre’s Infernal, and where he stage managed DORIAN at OSA last fall. He recently produced and directed a stage adaptation of his original one-act comedy, A Ketamine Induced Elizabeth Banks Hallucination, which premiered at Playwrights Horizons Theatre School. As a performer, he most recently originated the role of ‘Two’ in Susan Ferrera’s Interior, dir. Jessi Hill. He currently co-teaches high school theatre through Chicago Public Schools’ RE:ALIZE all-city arts program. Danny is passionate about living life with relentless candor and hopes our show inspires you to do the same!
Devin Meseke
Devin Meseke (Scenic Designer) recently designed THE TENDER LAND at DePaul Opera and was the assistant scenic designer on MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM at the Goodman Theatre. He has worked as a painter with Steppenwolf, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Shattered Globe Theatre, Peninsula Players Theatre, Remi Bumppo Theatre Company, Lifeline Theatre, and Skylight Music Theatre and is also currently the production manager for Lifeline Theatre’s upcoming musical LOKI - THE END OF THE WORLD TOUR. He holds a BFA in Scenic Design from DePaul University.
Zach Stinnett
Zach is Chicago based Sound Designer for theatre and film. He is the former Technical Director of MCL Chicago where he designed Sound and Lighting for the original run of Yippie Ki Yay Merry Christmas a Die Hard Musical. In his spare time he ruins countless movies for non sound people by explaining what is and is not the sound of a shammy. This is his fifth show with Open Space.
David G Zak
David Zak is the driving force behind Open Space Arts, a Chicago storefront theater and film hub dedicated to bold, original, and queer storytelling. An award-winning director with more than four decades of experience, his work spans contemporary theater, new musicals, and independent film, with directing credits including ANIMAL FARM, JERRY SPRINGER – THE OPERA, THE CHRISTMAS SCHOONER, and MR PARKER, as well as THE KRAMER PROJECT at the Center on Halsted and SUNSETS and MASSAGE THERAPY for the Open Space Arts. A six-time recipient of the Joseph Jefferson Award and an inductee of the City of Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame, Zak has also produced an award-winning short film, COUNTING, further advancing his commitment to championing independent and LGBTQ+ artists.
Open Space Arts presents the QUEER EXPRESSION Film Festival Screening Series—a monthly celebration of bold, intimate, and internationally acclaimed queer cinema. Held at Facets Film Forum (1517 W Fullerton Ave, Chicago) on the final Monday of each month, these curated screenings bring powerful LGBTQ+ stories to the big screen while creating space for conversation, community, and connection.
Tickets: https://www.goelevent.com/OpenSpaceArts/e/Search
Bulk ticket packages for the full series are also available.
BLUE FILM (USA) — Mar 30
A provocative two-character chamber drama about a fetish cam performer who agrees to spend a night with an anonymous client, only to uncover a complicated tie to his past.
ON THE SEA (United Kingdom) — Apr 27
In a remote Welsh fishing village, a quiet man is shaken when a newcomer stirs long-buried longing. A sensual meditation on masculinity, secrecy, and desire.
THE DIVINE TRAGEDY (Mexico) — Jun 29
When his husband leaves without warning, a refined man must rebuild his life alongside his free-spirited half-brother—an emotional journey of heartbreak and renewal.
